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Investigation of overdose death leads to one arrest

Burnham woman faces multiple drug charges

­­LEWISTOWN — Paige Storey, 21, of Burnham, was charged, in June, with manufacture/delivery/possession with intent to manufacture/deliver, according to Mifflin County District Attorney Christopher Torquato.

“This arrest resulted from an investigation into a local overdose death,” Torquato said. “The Mifflin County Drug Task Force made the arrest and, as part of this arrest, seized a substance that (was) preliminary field tested as fentanyl.”

Torquato further stated that those who use heroin “are at risk of obtaining fentanyl by mistake and using this substance in the same manner as which they (do) heroin. This type of usage greatly increases the likelihood of an overdose.”

According to police reports, text messages between Storey and the deceased stated that Storey had traveled to southeastern Pennsylvania on June 20 and obtained 50 bags of heroin, 10 of which Storey had sold to the deceased upon her return to Mifflin County. Text messages from Storey to the deceased on June 22 revealed that Storey was planning to obtain more heroin on June 23 and would distribute more to the deceased upon her return.

Police set up surveillance on U.S. 322 westbound late in the evening on June 23, according to court documents, to await Storey’s return to the area. Upon observing Storey traveling on U.S. 322, police followed Storey to the parking lot of a local restaurant where Storey agreed to speak to them.

According to court documents, Storey confessed to having 100 bags of heroin in her purse, which police discovered sitting on the front passenger seat of Storey’s vehicle. In a recorded statement, Storey said she had traveled to the Philadelphia area on June 20 and obtained 50 bags of heroin for $400. Storey stated she ingested several of the bags herself and then sold the rest at $20 per bag, 10 of which were sold to the deceased.

According to court documents, Storey also confessed to driving to the Philadelphia area again on June 23 and obtaining 100 bags of heroin for $700. Storey stated she only intended to ingest a few of the bags and planned to sell the remaining bags for $20 each.

Police confirmed that the bagged substance Storey purchased was fentanyl, not heroin.

“Fentanyl is many times more potent than heroin and users have no way to distinguish whether (what they’re using is) fentanyl or a mix of heroin and fentanyl,” Torquato said. “We are also seeing mixes of fentanyl and carfentanyl. Use of these substances together, most likely, will result in death to the user.”

According to court documents, Storey had driven to the Philadelphia area while her driving privileges were suspended/revoked and during a search, police recovered 100 bags of fentanyl from her purse, as well as drug paraphernalia from her vehicle.

Storey was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Kent Smith on June 24 and committed to Mifflin County Correctional Facility, unable to post the $500,000 bail set. Storey waived both her preliminary hearing and formal arraignment and is scheduled to appear in miscellaneous criminal court on Aug. 7.

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